Bye bye book shelves, hello smart tech!

Almost three quarters (73%) of people have adopted smarter technologies in their homes.

A new survey of 2,000 UK homeowners found around half of respondents think CD/DVD stands (52%) and a third believe bookshelves (34%) are becoming obsolete due to smarter solutions available on the market.

Around four in 10 people say they’d like to install solar panels and/or battery solutions by 2020, however, almost one in five think solar panels only generate electricity when it’s sunny and one in 10 think solar panels don’t work when it’s cold.

The survey also found more than a third would like smart lighting, a fifth want a voice controlled smart hub and 13% would like a charging point for an electric car.

Out of those who already have solar panels, more than three quarters (76%) said they’re saving money, almost two thirds (65%) said their home is more energy efficient and almost a third have seen the value of their property increase.

Around 41% also said having a solar panel and battery system would make a potential home more appealing to them if they were looking to buy.

Almost half (48%) said they’d made their homes smarter to make their lives easier, while 17% simply like having the latest gadgets and 6% desired better looking technology.

Gavin Stokes, Head of Commercial Solutions at E.ON UK said: “It’s really heartening that three quarters of households have already taken steps to make their homes smarter. But with a quarter of people saying they’ve yet to take steps to make their homes more solutions-savvy, there’s still much we can do to help people realise the benefits a smarter lifestyle can bring.”